Veterans’ suicide crisis fuels mission of Raleigh nonprofit

On this Memorial Day, the nation remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice. But while many of those who served in the US military died overseas, many others lose their lives by suicide after they return.

But there is another group of servicemen and women who have lost their lives not through a public battle, but through a private one.

Each year, over 6,400 veterans die by suicide, a statistic that has been consistent over the past 22 years, for a total of over 140,000 since 2001. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in veterans under the age of 45.

Keith Hotle, CEO of Stop Soldier Suicide, headquartered in Raleigh, told Carolina Journal in an interview Thursday, that although the number is less than 1% of the 17 million veterans, it is a significant cause of death for veterans of any age and is at an epidemic level.

The organization was co-founded in 2010 by US Army veterans Brian Kinsella, Nick Black, and Craig Gridelli, who served in combat in Afghanistan. After coming home, Hotle said they realized that they were losing more of their fellow soldiers and veterans to suicide than during combat. It started out as a resource and referral service but pivoted to evidence based treatments and safety planning when he joined the organization in 2018.

Hotle was a senior public health administrator at the Wyoming Department of Health for 10 years, as well as CEO of the Prevention Management Organization, a statewide public health prevention agency before being asked by Kinsella, Black and Gridelli to come to Stop Soldier Suicide.

His passion to help is twofold. Hotle grew up in a military family — his dad is a veteran. He also lost his late wife to suicide over 20 years ago.

“I think it’s important that if you have lived experience that you’re able to share that because people who’ve lost somebody really do struggle, and there are very few days that go by even now 20 plus years later that I don’t think about her,” he told CJ.

Hotle said the statistics can be broken down by numbers and rates.

The rates are very high for the younger veterans, particularly male. The majority of the issues for them stem from transitioning out of the military, usually within the first three years.

He said the period of time is almost like a perfect storm for suicide because theoretically, suicide increases when people are disconnected: They don’t have a sense of belonging; they don’t have a sense of purpose; and they have access to and know how to use firearms. This is what Hotle calls the “trinity of super risk factors.”

“When you think about people transitioning out of the military, they’re going from an experience where even if it wasn’t a perfect experience, you knew where you fit in,” Hotle said. “You had a purpose you had people that you were connected to and transitioning back and maybe refamiliarizing yourself with a family that you haven’t seen consistently because maybe you had multiple deployments. You’re looking for a job and maybe taking one that that doesn’t give you the same kind of complement that you’ve had in the military.”

He added that a veteran’s network of immediate support is gone and that men aren’t known for opening up or maintaining a really strong network of close friends they can talk to and that alcohol is also a significant factor.

When talking in numbers, Hotle said they tend to be higher among veterans who are middle-aged men (which is also true for civilians of that same age) and make up the majority of the 6,400 + number of suicides each year.

Although the organization is headquartered in Raleigh, Stop Soldier Suicide provides 100% telemental health services in all 50 states through a network of clinical partners. In addition to veterans, they also help active military members as well.

A referral is normally given by another veteran or family member who is concerned that a veteran or servicemember is possibly suicidal. Requests are made primarily on their website by clicking the “Get Help” button on their website, or through their phone number, 844-889-5610.

Response time is usually within 2-4 minutes, with an initial screening and then community engagement coordinators will talk with the person to do a more in-depth screening. Normal time for a complete assessment is about seven days, but someone who may be at high risk will be prioritized as soon as possible.

Stop Soldier Suicide offers two different services that help in the fight to reduce veteran and soldier suicides.

ROGER Wellness Service provides confidential and personalized counseling, crisis intervention, and safety planning that are evidence based in reducing suicidal thinking or behaviors, mainly through cognitive based treatment, which helps a veteran or soldier emotionally regulate during a time of crisis, and is different than talk therapy.

After an assessment, they initiate safety planning, which comes into play when a veteran or soldier needs immediate support, as they may be having a crisis and there is no one to talk to, and it may be some time before their next clinical session.

One critical part of the discussion on safety planning Hotle said has been the subject of the access to firearms, noting that 75% of veterans who died by suicide died by firearms.

“We’re apolitical when it comes to that whole conversation,” he said. “But for an individual, it might look like they aren’t super high risk right now and what could we do to make those less accessible until they start feeling like they’re at a point where that risk is lower.”

The Black Box Project was started six years ago and looks at things like a deceased veteran’s smartphone or computer, on temporary loan from their family, to better understand the suicide risk by analyzing the usage and data left on those devices. It is being done through a third-party to maintain confidentiality.

“One of the early findings from the work that we did was that digital journey looks very different than the outward presentation that’s going on in their lives,” Hotle told CJ. “One will never likely be able to predict the individual who’s going to die by suicide. The Black Box state it will allow us to see people who are extremely high risk based on detectable behavioral patterns and signals that occur in a digital ecosphere. So that really is our goal is trying to solve the problem of, we don’t really know who’s going to die by suicide, to, we have some tools that we can share with the field that will help flag those people who are very high risk.”

In addition to Black Box, which is unique to the organization, what sets Stop Soldier Suicide apart from other organizations he said is that they serve every veteran regardless of discharge status. They are also accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is also 100% free, as they don’t submit insurance claims or report to any government agencies. Their work is completely supported by all types of donors, as well as corporations and foundations, and don’t receive any support from government grants, which ensures 100% confidentiality and that all treatment is evidence based.

In 2025, Stop Soldier Suicide served 4,287 veterans and service members, with 462 receiving in depth suicide assessment and support. Since its inception, it has helped over 15,000 veterans receive treatment.

Hotle said about two-thirds of veterans have never talked to anyone about their thoughts of suicide, which makes it crucial to reach out to a family member or friend that someone may be concerned about.

“Listen without judgment and if they are in trouble, send that person or call on behalf of that person to our organization,” he said.

“Veterans’ suicide crisis fuels mission of Raleigh nonprofit” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.